On This Day In 2020: Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings Played Two Super Overs to Decide a Winner

Four years ago, on this day (October 18), fans witnessed a thrilling battle between Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL 2020 fixture crossed all the boundaries of madness as the match required two Super Overs to decide a victory.

It was the first such occurrence in the tournament’s history since its introduction in 2008. Following a nail-biting contest, Punjab overcame the Rohit Sharma-led side on the third-last ball of the second super over. Punjab opener KL Rahul was adjudged the Player of the Match for his crucial 77-run knock.

The historic IPL match was played at the Dubai International Stadium where Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat first. Mumbai struggled with the bat, losing early wickets.

Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a duck while Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan could not cross 10 runs. Quinton de Kock anchored the innings for Mumbai as he scored a half-century while hitting three boundaries and as many sixes.

Kieron Pollard chipped in with a quickfire 12-ball 34. His brilliance enabled Mumbai to put 176 runs on the scoreboard.

The run chase saw KL Rahul lead Punjab’s chase with a 51-ball 77. He scored seven boundaries while hitting three maximums. But things started to fall apart as Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar slowly found their footing in the game.

The duo combined for five wickets to ensure Punjab did not cross the 176-run mark.

As the Super Over followed, KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran were tasked with leading Punjab’s knock. Jasprit Bumrah read the situation perfectly as he scalped two wickets while giving away five runs.

With an underwhelming total to chase, Mumbai Indians looked to be in a comfortable position to seal a victory. That is exactly when Mohammad Shami showcased his supreme skills. Facing the duo of Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock, Shami reduced the star batters to just singles.

A run-out on the final ball meant the game would require another Super Over to separate the two sides.

The second Super Over saw Mumbai send out the power-hitting duo of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard to lead the knock. They helped Mumbai put up 11 runs on the board while losing a wicket.

During the run chase, West Indies legend Chris Gayle graced the pitch to carry Punjab over the finish line. He smashed one six and two boundaries facing Trent Boult to seal the victory.